panapp

What else to say.

The last line destroys the entire wonderful castle of thoughts built up to that point: no, Björk does not deserve a curse word in her reviews, and this piece that has been so dreamt about even less.

@nes: better this way, then.

@nes: don't worry, in general I don't take offense by principle and I certainly wouldn't be offended by your comments, since I've learned to know you (well, as much as I can know you through this site) and you've always seemed to me like an intelligent person or at least a reasonable one, who doesn't just write the first nonsense that comes to mind. ;) On the matter of tastes, you're absolutely right, and I certainly can't and don't want to ask you to like something you don't: it was just to show you that, just like in the rest of the world, music is produced in Japan in the same genres, in the same ways, and with the same variety compared to the West. So continuing to say in every review "well, but the Japanese can do better: for example, here is [link to music that is completely different from what is being reviewed]" is really not fair, that's all.

@nes: please don’t throw everyone in the same basket; just because your friend and her crowd like crap doesn’t mean everyone likes crap (but I’m sure you already know this). About the look: it’s a sensitive topic to handle because I’m the first to admit that for the Japanese themselves, a polished appearance is an excellent way to mask a lack of substance. This has historical roots: the way a gift is wrapped and presented was and still is more important than the gift itself; in this regard, they are quite close to the discourse of “not what, but how” that was mentioned in the review of Riefenstahl (be careful, I don’t want to be misunderstood: of course, Japanese culture also equally includes examples of “not how, but what,” eh). That said, I admit that I snub 80% of Japanese music because of this notion of appearance over content, but I’m also the first to fight against the idea that just because one band sucks, all of them do, and the examples you cited go exactly in this direction.

@ilTrattoreRagno: "the fact that [...] they use Japanese and are Japanese makes me laugh my head off. I mean, I find them ridiculous." The conversation is over, until next time.

@ilTrattoreRagno: no, the SEX MACHINEGUNS are speed metal as you can hear with your ears. Let me ask you something: when does the fun part start? No, because if you're referring to the stupid lobotomized fans, I know Western stuff that is much, much worse, you know.

I know I'm in the minority and I might get mocked for this, but I don't like them. I recognize their value, but they just don’t resonate with me. @nes: just think that "Ryoujoku no ame," which you linked, is my favorite song by Dir en grey. They used to be visual kei and I loved them, but now they are definitely not anymore; they’ve really toned it down and are touring with Korn: I don’t even download their new albums anymore. Please don’t say it’s otaku stuff because you’d be saying something foolish: trust me, otaku don’t listen to them.

A purely descriptive review and (here I agree with telespallabob) that doesn't address the problem of the art-power relationship. Riefenstahl was a great director, that's a fact, for HOW she directed her films; if we want to judge WHAT she directed, that's another story; thus the dispute is entirely about the comparison between "not what, but how" and "not how, but what." Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation" is perhaps the most chillingly racist film of all time (it supports the Ku Klux Klan, I mean, is there anything worse?), yet without that film, cinema today would be different. The same goes for Riefenstahl: "Olympia" is stunning, with moments of absolute emotion and an unmatched love for beauty. The examples of art in which "not what, but how" has been predominant are endless: think of that huge mass of French artists who exhibited at the Salon in Paris in the 19th century, all talented, skillful, and academic, but who merely reproduced the same naked Venuses and other things seen a thousand times. For Riefenstahl the discussion is different because she is not only a technically gifted master but a true visionary (an adjective that is now more than inflated, almost unbearable). Examples of "not how, but what" are also numerous, including often horrible public service advertisements, 70s Italian b-movies as well as the cinepanettoni, where in order to extract forced laughs, screenwriters indulge in the basest tricks. Of course, I’m not saying that content films are inferior to formal films, as there are masterpieces and garbage in both categories: a beautiful thing would be to find the balance, but we know well that balancing is the most difficult of arts.